Mao Anying
Encyclopedia
Mao Anying (October 24, 1922 – November 25, 1950) was the eldest son of Mao Zedong
and Yang Kaihui
. Educated in Moscow
, he was killed in action by an air strike during the Korean War
.
Christian hospital in Changsha, Hunan
Province. His mother, Yang Kaihui
was executed by the Kuomintang
in 1930. He and his younger brother, Mao Anqing
, escaped to Shanghai
, where they attended a kindergarten run by the Communist underground. In Shanghai, they lived with Pastor Dong Jianwu (董健吾), who was an Communist party member.
In 1933, the Communists moved their headquarter to Jiangxi
, care for the brothers was temporarily cut off and they lived on the streets as orphans. Their father, Mao Zedong
was in Jiangxi
province at the time.
In 1936 Anying was brought to Paris
by Li Du
, from Paris, he was then sent to Moscow
where he studied under the pseudonym
Xie Liaosha (謝廖沙). He joined the Soviet Army
during the Second World War and saw combat in the Eastern European theater. After the war, he returned to China in January 1946, and married Liu Songlin in October 1949.
. Because Mao Anying was the first son of Mao Zedong
, Peng and other senior Chinese leaders were at first unwilling to allow him to fight in Korea. When Mao Zedong was asked to intervene, he refused, saying "He is, after all, the son of Mao Zedong". Mao Anying met up with the army in Shenyang
on 8 October and crossed the Yalu River
with General Peng Dehuai
on October 25.
Anying's unit was stationed in caves near an old gold mining settlement, which offered excellent protection from American air attacks. The evening of November 24, 1950, two P-61 Black Widow
s were spotted on a photo reconnaissance mission by the Chinese on the ground near the location. The next day on November 25 at around noon, a South African Air Force
A-26 bomber dropped four napalm
bombs, one of which hit a makeshift house near the cave, killing Mao Anying and another officer who were arbitrarily cooking their lunch in violation of war-time regulations of Chinese Army.
Immediately after Anying's death, General Peng Dehuai
was afraid to report the incident to Mao. It was not until January 1951 that Mao got word of his son's death through premier Zhou Enlai
. According to Mao's private doctor, Li Zishui, when the news finally reached Mao who was smoking a cigarette at the time, he fell into deep contemplation. Though visibly shaken, he finally said "In war, there are sacrifices."
He was buried in Pyongyang
, in the Cemetery
for the Heroes of the Chinese People's Volunteer's Army though some also claim that his body was later shipped to Beijing. It is believed that Peng Dehuai
's fall from grace after the Great Leap Forward
and further humuliation in the Cultural Revolution
was due to Mao's hatred for Peng's carelessness in protecting the life of Mao Anying.
, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao
paid his respects at Mao Anying's grave.
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
and Yang Kaihui
Yang Kaihui
Yáng Kāihuì , who was the second wife of Mao Zedong from 1920 to 1930, was born in a small village named Bancang, in Changsha, Hunan Province, on November 6, 1901. She had three children with Mao Zedong, named Mao Anying, Mao Anqing, and Mao Anlong...
. Educated in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, he was killed in action by an air strike during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Early life
Mao Anying was born in an AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Christian hospital in Changsha, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
Province. His mother, Yang Kaihui
Yang Kaihui
Yáng Kāihuì , who was the second wife of Mao Zedong from 1920 to 1930, was born in a small village named Bancang, in Changsha, Hunan Province, on November 6, 1901. She had three children with Mao Zedong, named Mao Anying, Mao Anqing, and Mao Anlong...
was executed by the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
in 1930. He and his younger brother, Mao Anqing
Mao Anqing
Mao Anqing was the last known surviving son of Mao Zedong. He was the second son of Chairman Mao and his wife, Yang Kaihui. He lived his life in the shadow of his father, and suffered from a mental illness...
, escaped to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, where they attended a kindergarten run by the Communist underground. In Shanghai, they lived with Pastor Dong Jianwu (董健吾), who was an Communist party member.
In 1933, the Communists moved their headquarter to Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
, care for the brothers was temporarily cut off and they lived on the streets as orphans. Their father, Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
was in Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
province at the time.
In 1936 Anying was brought to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
by Li Du
Li Du
Li Du or Li Tu , was one of the leaders of the Kirin Self-Defence Army, one of the volunteer armies resisting the Japanese and the puppet state of Manchukuo in Manchuria in 1932....
, from Paris, he was then sent to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
where he studied under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Xie Liaosha (謝廖沙). He joined the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
during the Second World War and saw combat in the Eastern European theater. After the war, he returned to China in January 1946, and married Liu Songlin in October 1949.
Korean War
At the outbreak of hostilities in 1950, Mao Anying volunteered for the Chinese People's Volunteer ArmyPeople's Volunteer Army
The Chinese People's Volunteer Army was the armed forces deployed by the People's Republic of China during the Korean War. Although all units in the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army belonged to the People's Liberation Army , the People's Volunteer Army was separately constituted in order to...
. Because Mao Anying was the first son of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, Peng and other senior Chinese leaders were at first unwilling to allow him to fight in Korea. When Mao Zedong was asked to intervene, he refused, saying "He is, after all, the son of Mao Zedong". Mao Anying met up with the army in Shenyang
Shenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
on 8 October and crossed the Yalu River
Yalu River
The Yalu River or the Amnok River is a river on the border between North Korea and the People's Republic of China....
with General Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai was a prominent military leader of the Communist Party of China, and China's Defence Minister from 1954 to 1959. Peng was an important commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese civil war and was also the commander-in-chief of People's Volunteer Army in the Korean War...
on October 25.
Anying's unit was stationed in caves near an old gold mining settlement, which offered excellent protection from American air attacks. The evening of November 24, 1950, two P-61 Black Widow
P-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
s were spotted on a photo reconnaissance mission by the Chinese on the ground near the location. The next day on November 25 at around noon, a South African Air Force
South African Air Force
The South African Air Force is the air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. It is the world's second oldest independent air force, and its motto is Per Aspera Ad Astra...
A-26 bomber dropped four napalm
Napalm
Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
bombs, one of which hit a makeshift house near the cave, killing Mao Anying and another officer who were arbitrarily cooking their lunch in violation of war-time regulations of Chinese Army.
Immediately after Anying's death, General Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai was a prominent military leader of the Communist Party of China, and China's Defence Minister from 1954 to 1959. Peng was an important commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese civil war and was also the commander-in-chief of People's Volunteer Army in the Korean War...
was afraid to report the incident to Mao. It was not until January 1951 that Mao got word of his son's death through premier Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
. According to Mao's private doctor, Li Zishui, when the news finally reached Mao who was smoking a cigarette at the time, he fell into deep contemplation. Though visibly shaken, he finally said "In war, there are sacrifices."
He was buried in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, in the Cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
for the Heroes of the Chinese People's Volunteer's Army though some also claim that his body was later shipped to Beijing. It is believed that Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai was a prominent military leader of the Communist Party of China, and China's Defence Minister from 1954 to 1959. Peng was an important commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese civil war and was also the commander-in-chief of People's Volunteer Army in the Korean War...
's fall from grace after the Great Leap Forward
Great Leap Forward
The Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China , reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern...
and further humuliation in the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
was due to Mao's hatred for Peng's carelessness in protecting the life of Mao Anying.
2009 visit
In 2009, during a state visit to North KoreaNorth Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
paid his respects at Mao Anying's grave.